Category: Field Gear

Pat’s Product Reviews: Benchmade Marc Lee “Glory” Knife

Pat’s Product Reviews: Benchmade Marc Lee “Glory” Knife Make no mistake, I like big knives. I don’t care if they are folders or fixed blade knives, I like mine big. I’ve found over the years, that a big knife can do more than a little knife can, in most situations. Don’t get me wrong, small knives have their place, too. However, I’ve just found that a big knife can do just about all I ask of it on a daily basis.   The new Benchmade Knives, Marc Lee “Glory” Knife, was made to commemorate US Navy SEAL, Marc Lee, who …


Small Campstove Cooking, by R.E.

There are situations where the difference between a hot meal and a cold one is literally life and death. A hot meal can stave off hypothermia, and bringing food to boiling can prevent disease. Fire is good, and using fire to cook is better. I used to do a lot of camping and hiking, and have vague ambitions of returning to those pursuits. Because of that, and because I like having alternate means for important resources, over the past year I have been doing a lot of research into methods of heating food and drinks when away from utilities… or …


The Power of Three, by Jerry S.

Since we have all been reminded of the principle the “two is one and one is none”, it brings me to the conclusion that being prepared is really about “having a backup for your backup”.  So if “two is one”, then “three must be two”.  That has led me on a quest to discover at a minimum, three different ways to approach the problems we’ll face in a disaster situation.  If you are new to prepping or just want a different perspective of looking at things, maybe this will help.  To get us started, the first thing you should be …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Leatherman MUT Multi-Tool

Several weeks ago, I talked about some of the multi-tools on the market. I mentioned that SurvivalBlog readers should avoid the no-name, no-brand of multi-tools on the market. They are junk, and you don’t want to have to depend on one of these tools to save your life if TEOTWAWKI hits – that’s not the time to discover the cheap look-a-like multi-tool won’t do the job you ask of it.   My contact person at Leatherman alerted me to the new Military Utility Tool (MUT) that Leatherman is now producing. “Oh great,” I thought to myself, “she’s playing mind games …


Letter Re: Buying Military Surplus Directly

Mr Rawles,     Thanks for hard work and invaluable resources. I have a suggestion buying surplus military equipment. It appears the government liquidators mentioned have some sort of fees involved. Anyone can go to the DoD’s Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service web site.  This eliminates any middleman and lets you look at available equipment online.   In addition and maybe more usefully, every military base that I have served on or visited had a Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO), and they hold regular sales, some walk-in like a surplus store and others by sealed or open lot bidding. …


Caving Caveats, by S.B.

I’m an amateur caver, all the caves I know of I found through a local college caving course which I’ve taken a few times. We learned from our instructor, a former Marine, with lots of experience, that most cavers are very zealous when it comes to locations of caving sites. Largely because graffiti pop-culture day-hiking tourists are so devastating to pristine cave environments, serious spelunkers will not share that information beyond their associations. I would not expect to find that kind of information resource online. Serious cavers simply won’t breach their own operational security (OPSEC) to do that. IF anyone were …


Pat’s Product Reviews: Cold Steel Knives

I’ve carried a pocket knife of some type, ever since I was about six years old. Growing-up in Chicago, meant you were either going to take care of yourself, or become a meal for the next predator on the mean streets. There was a time, when I was a kid, that it seemed like everyone carried a pocket knife. I can remember going to elementary school, and most of the guys I went to school with carried pocket knives – in school! The police weren’t called, and you weren’t expelled from school, for carrying a “weapon.” It was just part of …


Pat’s Product Review: Don’t Buy Junk!

When I started writing for SurvivalBlog, I told readers that I wouldn’t review junk. I don’t want to waste my time, or yours, reviewing junk. When you buy junk, you have to buy it again and again. When you buy quality, you are buying the best. Jim Rawles asked me to write about some junk – to help readers avoid it.   I’m like everyone else, I like a good deal, especially on guns and knives. I also like a good deal on military and survival gear, and like everyone else, I occasionally fall for something that is too good …


Pareto’s Law and How I Survived a Real Disaster With a Survival Cache: Learning How to Learn, by David H.

In cold weather climate emergencies, one does not have the luxury of bumbling around with unfamiliar, time consuming, or downright questionable strategies for securing shelter, food and water. One’s gear must not be delicate or high maintenance, and one’s plan must be founded in strategies that have been thoroughly tested and improved upon. If one is ill-prepared or caught off guard, the cold will quickly strip away heat, water, and life.  Among some friends, there is a yearly tradition of heading to Quebec, over in Canada, where we go winter camping for about 2-3 weeks or so. Childhood friends now …


Letter Re: IWB Holsters and Negligent Discharges

Dear Editor: You recently mentioned an article about a negligent discharge, involving a Glock pistol that was carried in a very worn-out holster of the inside-the-waistband (IWB) variety. It was titled: The importance of a good holster. To be fair, IWB holsters are very good. So are Galco holsters. So are Glocks. One must just identify the risk versus benefits of any holster. For whatever reason, the concealed carry crowd forgets that the IWB holster is NOT a tactical holster. The IWB holster is an excellent choice for those in the concealed carry group but it is not the only option. You get great concealment. Quick access …


Beginner Prepping for Students by Mat R.

I’m a college student living in the western U.S.  I have been interested in prepping ever since I got my Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge in Boy Scouts when I was about 12.  My parents thought it’d be a phase, but it has always been a way of life for me ever since.  I have had a lot of fun even with it, and it’s not as hard as it can seem, especially for those who are still in school.  I’d like to share a few things that I have picked up over the years that can help any who are …


Fully Ready But Not Fully Prepared, by Expat D. in Japan

Where We Were In Kogoshima, in the southern part of Japan, residents know that when the active Sakurajima volcano finally erupts with its full force, they will most likely be killed. Some of them even know that it will be the quaking and the toxic pyroclastic flows that kill them rather than flowing lava. Similarly, living just 15 miles from the heart of Tokyo, we have always been aware that Tokyo is past due for a major earthquake. When it hits, it will cause suffering on a scale that will make Kobe and Mexico City seem as if they got …


Letter Re: Seven Common TEOTWAWKI Misconceptions

Jim, The recent article by Brian T. regarding common TEOWAWKI misconceptions is largely true as relates to the bad boy bikers, drug addicts and such. He is particularly correct as relates to BOBs. Where will they go, and can they carry it? What will they do when and if they get there? He’s accurate with regard to traffic jams and all that surrounds that subject. What he has failed to address, however, is the broader definition of who the “golden hoards” actually are. They are actually your friends, family and unprepared next door neighbors and theirs, and theirs, and theirs. …


Seven Common TEOTWAWKI Misconceptions, by Brian T.

Predictions are like, well, you know what, everybody has at least one.  Many or most predictions made are wrong and the content here is no exception.  I am not a modern day Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone but I have spent a few days in the woods, and hopefully after reading this you will not think I am still lost in them.  I did not fight in any war but had my share of the military experience and the same can be said for law enforcement.  I never bugged out but did backpack and still am a gym rat who …


The Basic Family Vehicle G.O.O.D. Kit, by Kirk S.

Many of the posts in this forum have discussed the vehicle Bug Out Bag (BOB), however it’s been my observation that most of them are not designed for a family.  As an example, many articles have discussed having a full change of clothes including shoes.  I can attest from my personal experience that packing a single change of clothes, including shoes, for a family of five takes a large duffle bag.  Fitting a large duffle bag inside the trunk of our vehicle along with our BOB would take up most of the room in our trunk.  Extra clothes are a …